Marine vehicles require upkeep and maintenance. One example of such maintenance is the frequent activity of uncovering and covering a boat, such as before and after use. The industry standard for attaching covers to boats is round metal snaps. One problem with such snaps is that because snaps are typically made from metal, they corrode and/or get dented and deformed and thus become more difficult to use over time. For example, if the mating component of a snap gets corroded, dented and/or dinged, it can affect the snap's ability to mate with the corresponding snap on a cover or may even prevent the snap from disengaging from the corresponding snap on a cover. If the housing of the snap gets corroded, dented and/or dinged, the snap may be prevented from being moved along a channel of the boat to properly align with the corresponding snap on a cover. In either case, the snap can no longer perform its function. Snaps also have quite a small surface area in relation to the cover. Thus, over time, the cover may tear from the small surface area of the cover being exposed to high tensile forces when the cover is being put on the boat.
The difficulty in snapping a cover to a boat is further increased by the limits of access to the perimeter of the boat. Boat owners and users often cover and uncover their boats while the boat is in the dock or the water. This makes it difficult to walk around the boat to line up the cover with the snaps and exert a considerable amount of pressure to engage the snaps if they are not in pristine condition.
Another problem with snaps is that for fiberglass boats, holes must be drilled into the fiberglass for the corresponding snaps of a cover to be inserted and held thereby. The drilling of holes in fiberglass can result in cracking of the fiberglass and/or require significant and expensive repairs. This risk causes the installation of snaps on fiberglass boats to be expensive. Such installation is also time consuming.
Attaching and detaching of other covers, such as, for example, those used for shade on the tops of marine vehicles and enclosure curtains made from fabric and/or clear plastic to protect such vehicles from the wind and rain, are similarly burdensome and challenging. Further, the boating industry includes many recreational users. Recreational users may choose to leave such covers off entirely so as to avoid the frustration and time required to snap and unsnap the cover to the boat. This results in accelerated wear and damage to the boat.
As such, there is a need for an accessory attachment that is easy and quick to remove and attach to the boat and that does not become more burdensome to use over time. There is also a need for an accessory attachment that does not require drilling into the fiberglass of fiberglass boats to install.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can lead to certain other objectives. Other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent in this summary and descriptions of the disclosed embodiment, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above as taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.